The fire broke out around 12:30 p.m. near Andersen Drive and Francisco Boulevard West, said San Rafael fire Capt. Jim Hufford. He said the fire started around the top of the pole and burned above the crossbar.
Firefighters let the pole burn until Pacific Gas & Electric turned off the power to the 60,000-volt transmission line, Hufford said.
"It was energized, and we had to wait till it was shut down so we could deal with it," he said.
The fire lasted about 45 minutes and forced street closures in the area. No injuries were reported.
PG&E spokeswoman Brandi Ehlers said the power outage affected 781 customers. All customers had power restored by 3:30 p.m., she said.
Contact Gary Klien via e-mail at gklien@marinij.com
To see more of The Marin Independent Journal or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.marinij.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, The Marin Independent Journal, Novato, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

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